1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), and, more particularly, to highly fault tolerant, high speed solid-state circuit breakers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In convention high power systems (e.g., distributed and off-grid power systems and hybrid-electric ground vehicle power systems), power electronic converters and power distribution equipment operate up to several hundred volts and up to hundreds of kilowatts. To prevent damage to converters, or other system components, during fault conditions, such systems frequently require fault current interrupt speeds in tens to hundreds of microseconds. Moreover, in many of these systems, AC and DC power components operate between two voltage busses having independent sourcing capability and typically require bi-directional fault isolation. These requirements also include symmetric ratings for bi-directional voltage blocking in the off-state and bi-directional current conduction in the on-state.
Conventional systems in high power applications frequently use mechanical contactors. Mechanical contactors, however, do not generally provide adequate actuation speeds, and tend to suffer severe degradation during repeated fault isolation. In addition, high conduction losses and negative temperature coefficients of bipolar solid-state devices typically limit their practicality and scalability for high power applications.